Traditional woodwind instrument mouthpieces comprise a body, a ligature, and a reed. The body, which is typically made of plastic, rubber or metal, has a smooth upper surface which is intended to rest against the upper lip and teeth, and a lower surface which is intended to mount the reed, which has a small gap from the body, allowing flowing air to vibrate the reed and produce a tone, whose frequency is generally controlled by the remainder of the instrument. The player may also control the reed by applying pressure with the lip and teeth.
Various configurations have been designed for mouthpieces and reeds for musical instruments, usually woodwind instruments, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 147,202 patented Feb. 3, 1874 to C. W. Vogel on “Reed-Organs”; and U.S. Pat. No. 477,661 patented Jun. 28, 1892 to H. Janes on a “Vibrator For Reed Musical Instruments”; and U.S. Pat. No. 488,828 patented Dec. 27, 1892 to C. S. Mudge on a “Musical Instrument”; and U.S. Pat. No. 555,561 patented Mar. 3, 1896 to G. R. Cadwallader on a “Reed Supporter For Clarinets”; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,506,364 patented Aug. 26, 1924 to H. M, Chiron et al on a “Reed For Saxophone Or Clarinet Mouth Pieces”; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,535,537 patented Apr. 28, 1925 to W. Majeski an “Adjustable Reed In Wind Instruments”; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,615,549 patented Jan. 25, 1927 to B. Miller on a “Mouthpiece For Reed Instruments”; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,667,836 patented May 1, 1928 to F. Brockman, Jr. on a “Reed For Musical Wind Instruments”; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,776,566 patented Sep. 23, 1930 to H. B. Newton et al on a “Mouth Reed For Musical Instruments”; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,779,522 patented Oct. 28, 1930 to C. O. Widmayer on a “Reed For Clarinets And Saxophones”; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,789,639 patented Feb. 20, 1929 to Selmer on a “Mouthpiece for Wind Instruments”; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,106,016 patented Jan. 18, 1938 to H. T. Prescott on a “Reed For Musical Instruments”; and U.S. Design Pat. No. Des. 112,783 patented Jan. 3, 1939 to O. C. Noble and assigned to Tygart Valley Glass Company on a “Jar”; and U.S. Design Pat. No. Des. 119,602 patented Mar. 26, 1940 to A. A. Verville on a “Reed For A Musical Instrument”; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,268,641 patented Jan. 6, 1942 to A. Brilhart on a “Reed For Musical Instruments”; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,287,529 patented Jun. 23, 1942 to M. Maccaferri on a “Reed Of Cane, Plastic, Or Any Other Material For Clarinets, Saxophones, And Like Musical Instruments”; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,342,836 patented Feb. 29, 1944 to A. Brilhart and assigned to Arnold Brilhart Ltd. on a “Reed For Musical Instruments”; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,375,934 patented May 15, 1945 on a “Reed”; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,467,921 patented May 28, 1947 to Werner on a “Saxophone Mouthpiece”; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,492,366 patented Dec. 27, 1949 to A. L. Ohnhaus on a “Wood-Wind Reed”; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,669,897 patented Feb. 23, 1954 to J. Topor on a “Reed For Musical Instruments”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,183,760 patented May 18, 1965 to A. Michel on “Reeds For Application In Musical Instruments Particularly In Electronic Musical Instruments”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,202,032 patented Aug. 24, 1965 to A. R. Strathmann on a “Mouthpiece For Saxophones And Clarinets”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,564,965 patented Feb. 23, 1971 to J. A. Carlini on a “Ligature For Reed Musical Instrument”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,905,268 patented Sep. 16, 1975 to J. G. Gamble on “Reeds For Saxophones, Clarinets And Other Woodwinds”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,056,997 patented Nov. 8, 1977 to P. L. Rovner on a “Reed Holding Device For Musical Instruments”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,145,949 patented Mar. 27, 1979 to F. A. Kilian on a “Musical Reed”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,172,482 patented Oct. 30, 1979 to H. M. Gomez on a “Method And Apparatus For Adjusting Single Reeds For Musical Instruments”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,223 patented Jul. 15, 1980 to Runyon on a “Mouthpiece for Woodwind Musical Instruments”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,337,683 patented Jul. 6, 1982 to J. G. Backus on a “Synthetic Woodwind Instrument Reed And Method For Its Manufacture”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,345,503 patented Aug. 24, 1982 to Runyon on an “Interchangeable Tone Chamber”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,355,560 patented Oct. 26, 1982 to D. W. Shaffer on a “Reed Construction”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,439 patented May 22, 1984 to F. E. Wells on a “Mouthpiece For Woodwind Instruments”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,257 patented Feb. 25, 1986 to E. B. Laker on an “Apparatus For Profiling Reeds For Double-Reed Musical Instruments”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,644,649 patented Feb. 24, 1987 to R. C. Seaman et al on an “Apparatus For Trimming Reeds Of Musical Instruments”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,507 patented Jan. 10, 1989 to T. L. Stibal on a “Reed Holding Device”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,385 patented Jul. 17, 1990 to C. O. Johnson on a “Tone Plate And Clamping Device For A Musical Instrument Mouthpiece”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,483 patented Feb. 12, 1991 to R. Petit on a “Mouthpiece For Wind Instrument, And Corresponding Ligature And Mouthpiece Cover”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,073 patented Mar. 19, 1991 to D. Hite on a “Construction For Supporting A Reed Upon The Mouthpiece Of A Musical Wind Instrument And Method Of Fabricating The Same”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,425 patented to P. L. Rovner on May 28, 1991 on a “Mouthpiece System For Woodwind Instruments”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,350 patented Jul. 23, 1991 to A. Galper on a “Single Reed Mouthpiece”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,701 patented Apr. 21, 1992 to J. Hall et al on a Clarinet Mouthpiece”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,752 patented Mar. 1, 1994 to E. Barbaglia on a “Device For Fastening The Reed On The Mouthpiece of Wind Instruments”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,398,582 patented Mar. 21, 1995 to G. T. Smith and assigned to Mobile Music, Inc., Gary Smith and Joseph Stefano on a “Wire Clamping Ligature For Use With A Single Reed Mouthpiece For A Musical Instrument”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,456,152 patented Oct. 10, 1995 to Cusack et al. on a “Mouthpiece for Woodwind Instruments Having a Raised Lay Portion”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,479,842 patented Jan. 2, 1996 to W. H. Ostermeyer on “Flavored Musical Instrument Reeds”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,648,623 patented Jul. 15, 1997 to Silverstein et al., on a “Ligature of Woodwind Instruments”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,020,545 patented Feb. 1, 2000 to J. J. Consoli on a “Ligature For The Mouthpiece Of A Woodwind Musical Instrument”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,501,010 patented Dec. 31, 2002 to Sullivan on a “Reed and Mouthpiece Assembly”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,673,992 patented Jan. 6, 2004 to Runyon on a “Saxophone Mouthpiece”, each of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.
In reeded woodwind instruments, such as clarinets and saxophones, a moistened reed beveled is utilized during the performance thereof. Such reeds are typically installed and removed before and after each playing session and also during performances if they become unusable for any reason. The flow of air from the player's mouth causes the reed to resonate, at a principal frequency determined by the remainder of the instrument.
The reed must be properly aligned with respect to the mouthpiece in such a manner that proper tone is produced by the instrument. This alignment is typically provided by a sight or touch alignment.
The reed is typically fixed to the body by a ligature, which encircles the reed and body. Known ligatures have one or more thumbscrews which tighten the band, locking the reed in place.
Traditional ligatures have known deficiencies, including slippage, especially with changes in temperature and breath-induced moisture. The thumbscrews may loosen. Over time, the ligature may degrade, for example by stretching or stripping of the threads. Because the ligature encircles the body, as the mouthpiece assembly is mounted on the instrument, or the instrument tuned, the ligature may be displaced or slip.
Because the tonal quality of the woodwind is substantially influenced by the mouthpiece assembly, the ligature affects the tone and resonance of the instrument as a whole.